REPORT: YEOVIL TOWN V CREWE ALEXANDRA

16 September 2014

A Kieffer Moore bullet header twenty minutes from time earned Yeovil Town a 1-1 draw with lowly Crewe Alexandra at Huish Park tonight.

Moore’s superb header from a Nathan Smith cross rescued the Glovers who had gone behind ten minutes earlier to a close range finish from influential Billy Waters. The hosts had far more chances and could have snatched a late winner when Joel Grant’s shot thumped against a post in stoppage time.

The result sees Yeovil end the evening in 16th place while the Alex remain bottom of the table after a game they were fortunate at times to keep a point from.

Yeovil boss Gary Johnson made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday. Goalkeeper Chris Weale was dropped to the bench, meaning there was a first team debut for Blackburn’s on loan keeper Jake Kean. And James Hayter’s groin injury ruled him out altogether meaning that Joel Grant started his first game of the season.

The first half was at times an insipid affair with too few chances to spark the game to life. Yeovil’s best moments came from Sam Foley’s corners where Aaron Martin twice went close to repeating his scoring exploits at Bradford. The closest they came to scoring though was when Grant guided the ball back to Joe Edwards and his rising drive was tipped over by Crewe keeper Ben Garratt.

Crewe’s only two chances of the first period fell to striker Marcus Haber who volleyed one chance over and headed the other one wide. Late on, Sam Foley sent a shot over the crossbar after cutting inside.

Crewe started the second half by far the more livelier and Jake Kean reacted brilliantly to tip a Haber header over the bar. The visitors forced five corners in just eight minutes, the first of which saw Kean again tip the ball away to safety over his own bar.

The pressure looked like it was leading to a goal and just after the hour mark, it duly came. Jakub Sokolik was robbed in the right back position by Vadaine Oliver; the striker then cut inside and shot at Kean who could only parry the ball to Billy Waters who couldn’t miss the rebound.

The concession of the goal was enough for boss Johnson who made a rare triple substitution. Withdrawing Kevin Dawson, Foley and Sokolik, he replaced them with Seth Twumasi, Nathan Ralph and Kieffer Moore. And from then on, the tempo of the team was lifted, the chances count rose and the fans got behind the team as a result.

On 71 minutes came the equaliser. Nathan Smith, on the left flank, cut into the box and chipped a ball in for Moore to meet with a perfect bullet header into the corner. The goal inspired the crowd and in turn the team as Yeovil pushed for the winner in the final twenty minutes.

Twumasi tested Garratt with a long range effort and even Ben Nugent had a crack from thirty yards after taking out Waters with a crunching tackle but his shot sailed harmlessly wide.

Moore was at the centre of everything, heading a Ralph cross over the bar, getting booked for a late challenge on Jon Guthrie and then hitting a fierce effort that deflected for a corner. But it was not Moore, but Joel Grant who had the last word, hitting a left footed effort that cannoned off the post with Ralph firing the rebound over.